Gosforth Nursery Limited

Gosforth Nursery Limited Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY429649 Inspection date 31/10/2011 Inspector Carys Millican

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Setting address Gosforth Nursery, Wasdale Road, Gosforth, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1AZ Telephone number 01946725800 Email gosforthnursery@btconnect.com Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Gosforth Nursery is managed by a committee and has been operating for over forty years. It operates from a new purpose built building in the grounds of Gosforth Primary School, in the centre of Gosforth village, Cumbria. The setting provides full day care for babies and pre-school children and after school facilities for children attending the primary school, during term time and school holidays. The provision consists of a baby room, a toddler room, a nursery room, an out of school club room and a dining room/ kitchen. The children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 45 children aged under eight years may attend the nursery at any one time, of these 30 children may be in the early years age group and six may be under two years old. There are currently 61 children on the roll, of these, 34 are in the early years age group. The facility serves mainly children and families from the village and surrounding rural areas. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year olds. They provided care each weekday, Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5pm, for 50 weeks of the year. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 10 members of staff who all hold appropriate early years qualifications to a minimum of National Vocational Qualification Level 3. The manager holds Early Years Professional Status. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. They are members of the Pre-school Learning Alliance and receive support from the Local Authority Early Years and Childcare Advisors.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Early years children make good progress in their learning and development due to the staffs' expertise and sound understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Children are happy, confident individuals who settle easily in this safe, well organised, full day care setting where they are provided with a wide range of resources and activities that are easily accessible and meet their individual needs and interests. The staffs' positive engagement with parents and carers contributes to children's ongoing learning and development and to the enhancement of the provision. There are effective arrangements to safeguard children and promote their health and safety, including links with other professionals. The management and staff have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the provision through the self-evaluation process that is effectively used to ensure the ongoing development and continuous improvement of the

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 enhance the environment with visual displays of positive images to help develop children's understanding of difference and diversity  strengthen further the partnership with parents by extending ways of involving them in their children's learning and development at home and further develop the partnership with other settings caring for the children to enable the continuity and coherence of care and learning.

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the early years provision

Children are effectively safeguarded. Thorough safeguarding procedures and efficient recruitment strategies ensure that staff working with the children are suitable and highly skilled in their work. The staff fully understand their safeguarding duties, so that children are protected and cared for in a safe and secure environment. Comprehensive risk assessments ensure effective actions are taken to reduce or eliminate potential risks to children. The self-evaluation process involves users of the setting, the staff team and the management of the setting. It recognises the strengths and areas for improvement of the provision well. Continuous reviews are undertaken and parents consulted about the setting in general and any new additions to the premises, such as the outdoor play area and outdoor classroom. Leadership and management are confident about what the setting needs to do to improve further and have been very effective in making and

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the early years provision

sustaining substantial improvements, for example, the new building and resources. Staff are well organised and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. A detailed set of policies and procedures guide staff practice and these are used effectively to promote children's health and safeguard their welfare.

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the early years provision

There is a good partnership with parents and with people within the local community. Parents comment very positively on the provision and the friendly, approachable staff looking after their children. Staff work closely with parents to ensure children settle in at their own pace and ensure that individual needs are addressed effectively. Parents are included in the life of the nursery through newsletters, daily discussions and informative notice boards, which display details of music groups and health visitor sessions held in the building. Staff provide parents with opportunities to review their children's progress records and to add comments regularly to them. These records demonstrate how well children are doing and how key staff identify the next steps in children's learning. Parents are provided with information about the Early Years Foundation Stage and how to help with children's overall development at home; however, this is not individual to

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the early years provision

each child to help them make further progress with their learning. Staff provide an inclusive environment for all, and show good care and understanding of equality and diversity, however, there is a lack of visual images or displays on the walls showing the difference and diversity of the world around them. The setting has established good links with the school and invaluable contact with other agencies assisting children with specific needs. Systems for the exchanging of information with other settings or providers are in the early stages of development. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 The playrooms within the setting are effectively organised to enable children to become independent learners. The space and provision create a motivating and enabling environment where children access a wide variety of resources and range of activities which cover all areas of learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are very happy, settled and content in the care of experienced practitioners, who have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children show expected levels of independence and an enthusiasm to tackle self- chosen and adult-led activities throughout the day. The setting is attractively presented and provides an interesting environment for all ages. Staff observe children as they play to help them plan for their next steps and to ensure that activities are age appropriate for each child's stage of development. Staff know the children well. The key person system is effectively implemented to ensure children form close attachment, especially in the baby room. Staff maintain development records and track children's progress carefully. Well planned activities and the provision of resources take into consideration the individual interests of the children and provides them with new and interesting tasks across all areas of

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and outcomes for children

learning. Children behave well. They are continuously praised and their achievements highly valued. This helps them develop self-confidence and self- esteem and an understanding of expected behaviour, for example, being kind, sharing and taking turns when playing games. Children are motivated and interested in the activities and resources available to them, showing good levels of concentration. There are procedures in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disability and their families.

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and outcomes for children

Children's language and communication skills are supported well. Staff model language thoughtfully, developing children's vocabulary and provide activities that link to phonic sounds. Staff skilfully help children extend their level of understanding and improve their explanation through effective questioning techniques. Children confidently recognise numerals and count when playing, for example, the number of spots on the coloured dominos. Staff effectively support children's next steps in development, for example, by encouraging babies to become more mobile. The nursery environment has resources that help children develop skills for the future, for example, computers and tape recorders. Children's knowledge and understanding of the world around them is encouraged through activities, celebrations and visits into the community; for example, children attend the harvest festival in the local church and visit the local school and residential

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and outcomes for children

Good hygiene practices are adopted by children and staff. Hand-washing routines and nappy-changing procedures are consistently applied. Meals and snacks are well-balanced and nutritious and children's independence and self-help skills are supported well at these times; for example, they pour water capably into beakers and competently use a knife to spread margarine onto their toast. Manners are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fully encouraged and children learn to clear the table after eating. Children have good opportunities for physical exercise, both inside and outside, using a variety of good quality play equipment. They enjoy circle games and exercise their bodies as a warm up session outside. Children cooperate together to construct a series of drain pipes to roll balls down and enjoy running after the bubbles blowing around the play area. They are provided with natural materials to investigate and

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and outcomes for children

experiment, for example, crunchy brown leaves in a tray. Children learn about sustainability and growth whilst helping staff recycle paper and plastics and when planting bulbs in plant pots outside. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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